


strategic mistletoe placement

by Jien_o



Category: One Piece
Genre: Christmas fic, Fluff, Kissing, Law being oblivious, M/M, Misunderstandings, Modern AU, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:22:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21978025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jien_o/pseuds/Jien_o
Summary: Law doesn’t want to be the type of person who gets a reputation for starting office affairs with interns. People would only gossip and talk and Law can’t stand that.Besides that, Luffy’s not even his type.
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Comments: 30
Kudos: 368





	strategic mistletoe placement

When Law walks into the office the first thing that greets him is the big ass Christmas Tree in the foyer, getting decorated by two of the interns. 

Luffy sits on top of the ladder, wrestling with a long string of blinking fairy lights, completely tangled up. Usopp, who stands right at the bottom of the tree, holds hideous gold tinsel in his hands and yells unhelpful instructions up at him. 

Law can't help but roll his eyes at these two clowns and their clumsy attempts. Great. It’s not even eight in the morning and he’s already annoyed. 

„Oi, Torao!“ Luffy suddenly shouts in greeting and Law rolls his eyes even harder at the utter misuse of his last name.

Law glances up at him and gives a little wave out of pure politeness, but doesn’t grant a verbal response. He hasn’t even had his first coffee yet and Luffy’s already trying to chat. The boy only has himself to blame if Law gives him the silent treatment. 

„Hey! Torao!“ Luffy tries again when Law keeps on ignoring him, his shout even louder now, echoing off the walls of the hall, „Get up here and help me!“

Law makes a face. He really shouldn’t engage Luffy. It never ends well for him. He should just go into their staff kitchen, make himself some coffee, walk into his office, close the door and hope that Luffy doesn’t bother him for the rest of the day. That sounds like a good and reasonable plan.

„Stop ignoring me!“ Luffy suddenly whines, high pitched and loud and god, people _work_ here.

Law huffs out an irritated breath, „Get Usopp to help you,“ he says and hates himself for giving a reaction.

„He’s afraid of heights,“ Luffy explains, and Law only raises his eyebrows at Usopp, who gives an innocent whistle and suddenly seems to be more interested in the tinsel in his hands than at their conversation. 

Law sighs, „Who the fuck decided to put you two in charge?“

Luffy shrugs and Usopp avoids meeting his eyes. 

Okay then. 

„Don’t be angry, Torao,“ Luffy says. 

„I’m not," Law replies, if anything he's irritated, "I can’t be angry at such incompetence.“ 

Luffy tilts his head, making a face like he doesn’t understand.

Law pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance, "Where the hell is Coby?“ he wants to know, exasperated. 

Coby is the only intern that actually gets shit done and does what he’s been told to do, without questioning it. So basically the exact opposite of Luffy, really. Luffy just does whatever the fuck he wants no matter how stupid it is and _never fucking listens_. He's completely and utterly useless to keep around. 

But everyone working at their company appears to have a huge soft spot for him though. Well, everyone except Law. He’s the only one who’s still sane enough to withstand Luffy’s sunny smile and large Bambi eyes and his pretty face, cute nose and -

„He’s getting the Chocolate Santa’s from the market for the secret Santa thing,“ Usopp explains and Luffy just nods. 

Well, not his problem then. He’s about to walk away and leave them to handle it on their own when Luffy suddenly lets out an excited giggle. 

God, he’s 19. And he _giggles_. That shit’s not cute at all.

„Did you send someone chocolate, Torao?“ Luffy asks, dark-brown eyes wide and curious. Law knows that Luffy just hopes to get lots of free sweets.

„No,“ Law answers, because why the fuck would he? And why is he still talking to these two? He’s got a desk full of work waiting for him. 

„Aw,“ Luffy pouts, the corners of his mouth playfully turning downwards, „Not even for me?“ 

„ _Especially_ not for you,“ Law stresses, and Luffy laughs, light and happy, not taking offense at all. 

It's a nice sound, Law thinks and promptly leaves before he can further ponder the thought. 

—

Law doesn’t like Christmas. 

Okay, it’s not like he’s the grinch and hates it and wants to ruin it for everyone, but he just doesn’t care for it much. What’s there to be excited about, honestly? It all just seems like another way for companies to make even more money off of people. 

And it's tacky as fuck, overly colorful and saturated, blinking lights everywhere. It doesn’t fit Law’s taste at all. 

But all his co-workers seem to be excited about it and well into a Christmas mood. The company is getting decked in Christmas decorations, old classic Christmas tunes are playing on the radio and Sanji put out plates of home-baked cookies in the staff room for everyone to enjoy. Mistletoes are hanging in the doorways and everyone is looking forward to their Christmas party.

Law can't say that he is. He would love to skip it this time around. 

„What?“ Luffy asks, face twisting in obvious disappointment. He hands Law his coffee order as Law puts his wallet away, „Why? There’s free food, you know that, right?“ 

Law eyes the Christmas decorated cup in disdain; Is nothing safe from this unnecessary tacky Holiday? 

„I can honestly think of better things to do.“ Law explains as they make their way over to their table, sitting down on the comfy leather seats. „It's the same thing every year; everyone just gets drunk on eggnog or mulled wine and then someone gets fucked in the bathroom and the day after, everyone knows about it and people gossip about nothing else for two weeks straight.“

Luffy snorts out a laugh, his hair falling into his face as he tilts his head, „Really?“ He asks, still smiling. 

Law only nods, watching how Luffy takes a sip from his hot chocolate. 

It has become some kind of a tradition for them to spend at least one lunch break per week at the café across the street. Law doesn’t even know how it started. Something about Luffy saying that he hasn’t ever had coffee in his life and Law suddenly had a mission, dead-set on trying to cultivate him. 

But Luffy is still ordering hot chocolate despite all of Law's efforts, and well, Law's not ready to admit defeat just yet. 

„I think it’s going to be a good time,“ Luffy smiles as he places his chin in the palm of his hand, „It’s my first Christmas party at the company, I’m not going to miss it!“ 

„Well, have fun then," Law huffs out, before taking a small sip from his coffee. 

„You should come too,“ Luffy says, and he sounds so honest about it that it makes Law pause for a moment, „It wouldn’t be the same without you.“

He says it softly, almost too softly, like the evening would really miss him if he weren’t there; like _Luffy_ would miss him if he weren’t there. Law allows the thought to light up and make him feel overly warm for only half a second before he manages to suffocate it with a blanket of apathy. 

He raises a single eyebrow at Luffy, amused, a teasing smile curling at the corner of his mouth, „You really don't know what to do without me, do you?“

Luffy snorts but avoids his eyes. „I mean,“ he starts laughing sheepishly, not agreeing to Law’s statement but not denying it either, „Who would make fun of my Christmas sweaters if you’re not there?“

Law chuckles and lets Luffy get away with it. „They truly are an abomination,“ he says, eyeing the little red Rudolph nose on Luffy’s sweater that blinks obnoxiously at him. It’s an ugly damn thing. 

„You're wrong,“ Luffy argues quickly, „They’re fun!“ 

„They look stupid,“ Law drawls. 

Luffy sticks out his tongue at him. _„You_ look stupid,“ he fires right back.

It’s kind of cute, really. Luffy looks all pouty and huffy, feathers clearly ruffled. Law likes to tease him a lot. 

„You know what?“ Law grins, amused by Luffy’s outburst, „Angry really works for you.“

Luffy rolls his eyes, the corners of his mouth twitched upward though, betraying what he’s really thinking. Law doesn’t make it a habit to flirt with interns as much as he does with Luffy, but it’s all in good fun. He’s pretty sure Luffy never takes his teasing all that serious. 

„Shut up,“ Luffy retorts, ducking his face a little. „You’re the worst.“ 

Law smiles, „Am I really?“ he asks, and doesn’t expect an answer. 

Luffy doesn’t give him one, only looks away, busies himself with taking a sip from his warm drink. 

He knows that Luffy likes him, likes him enough to leave all his friends behind on lunch break and spend it alone with him instead. He never once asked to bring them along either, keeping these coffee shop dates a thing between only the two of them. 

Law doesn’t know how much he should read into it. Probably nothing, and it’s better that way anyway. Law doesn’t want to be the type of person who gets a reputation for starting office affairs with interns. People would only gossip and talk and Law can’t stand that. 

Besides that, Luffy’s not even his type. 

Too young, too loud, too childish, too brash. No manners, no experience, and no trace of that timid, meek personality that Law usually prefers. 

Sure, Luffy is attractive, certainly cute and appealing in his own way, but wanting to fuck someone is one thing, and dating another. Law could very well see himself taking Luffy to bed, but he couldn't imagine himself being with him. 

They're complete opposites of the spectrum. Luffy is fun, happy and outgoing, noisy and obtrusive. Law is quiet, serious and reserved, careful who he talks to, at times even withdrawn. 

Law can't imagine their personalities would mix very well. 

So it’s bad, really fucking bad, that when Luffy smiles at him over the rim of his cup, Law finds that none of that really matters. 

„We still have half an hour left,“ Luffy remarks with a glance at his phone, „Wanna check out the Christmas market with me?“ 

„Not really,“ Law shoots the idea down quickly. Christmas markets are repetitive, predictable, and boring, not to mention crowded and expensive. 

Luffy’s face falls, „But I want to buy some delicious treats.“ 

Law tsks, „You mean, you want me to buy you candy,“ he calls him out, „You don’t even have your wallet with you, do you?“

Clearly not deterred, Luffy says, „C’mon, it will be fun!“ 

Law just shakes his head, „No.“

Luffy pouts. 

„No, Luffy,“ Law says again.

„Please,“ Luffy whines, trying to get his way with the magic word. It’s not often that Luffy resorts to being polite to get his way. Law admits to being kind of impressed.

„Absolutely not,“ Law says, „Stop looking at me like that.“

He will not let Luffy drag him over to a stupid, tacky Christmas market.

—

He totally lets Luffy drag him over to a stupid, tacky Christmas market. 

„Thank you for the sweets!“ Luffy grins at him and happily puts a candied almond into his mouth, before holding the open paper bag out for Law to take one as well.

It’s kind of rare that Luffy even offers to share his food, but then again, Law just paid for it, so it’s not as generous as one might think. 

Law puts his wallet away, „No thanks,“ he refuses, „That stuff makes your teeth rot.“ 

Luffy shrugs, and pops another one into his mouth like the candy might be worth getting toothache over. „I don’t care, it’s delicious.“ 

Law playfully rolls his eyes but follows the younger man anyway when he starts moving to the other stalls, glancing at the wooden toys and shiny lights with almost childlike interest. Luffy makes sure to keep a hand on his arm so they don’t lose each other in the crowd by accident, his fingers curling into the fabric of Law’s coat. 

Law simply interlaces their fingers, taking Luffy's warm hand in his own, trying not to notice how it fits perfectly. It's merely so that they don't lose sight of each other in the crowd. Law doesn't have the nerve to go searching for him, so it's better to play it safe. 

Luffy doesn't reject him, only squeezes his hand in his and gives him a small smile that drives Law a little crazy. He swallows and looks away, relieved when Luffy finds something else to direct his smile at and drags Law after him.

Law’s kind of bored, but also not as annoyed as he thought he would be. It’s been a while since he had visited a Christmas market and that’s probably because it’s such a couple thing to do. 

Law tries hard not to think about that though. This already feels too much like a date. It's probably just the hand holding though. But that's simply them being practical. 

„Hey,“ Law says suddenly when they walk past a stall that sells mulled wine and eggnog. „Do you think they offer roasted apple punch?“ 

„Probably,“ Luffy nods, „Let’s check it out.“

"Stay here," he tells Luffy when Law spots a free space at the bar table before he squeezes himself through the crowd to order.

Law brings the drinks back to where he left Luffy. Luffy happily accepts the glass and immediately takes a sip of the dark-gold liquor. 

"Careful," Law warns him, "It's hot."

Luffy doesn't seem to be bothered though, his face lightens up and he makes a little delighted sound while he swallows. 

„Oh,“ he breathes out, clearly surprised, „This is good!“

„It’s my favorite,“ Law admits, taking a sip from the drink as well, cold hands warming up around the glass. 

„It’s got alcohol in it, huh?“ Luffy asks, dark brown eyes blinking up at Law, „I don’t usually drink, you know?“ 

Law’s a little startled by the admission. Sure, Luffy’s not 21 yet, but he thought…well, Law guesses not everyone starts drinking as early as he did. 

„It has some, but not much." Law tries to downplay his surprise, "Just don’t drink it too fast and you should be fine,“ he instructs, „And don’t tell anyone at work I brought you alcohol. I don’t want them to gossip.“

Luffy gives a small laugh, „They talk anyway,“ he says, shrugging a little, „It doesn’t bother me.“ 

„Well, I would like to avoid any rumors,“ Law explains, hopes that Luffy understands that he’s serious about this, „I know the boss is considering me for a promotion and if he gets wind of me giving one of our underage interns alcohol...“ he trails off.

Luffy hums, but nods in understanding. He mimes zipping his lips, „Won’t hear it from me, promise.“ 

Law feels relieved, "Thank you," he says.

"I know you work hard," Luffy nods, taking another sip from his drink. He seems to take Law's advice to heart, drinking it far more slowly than Law is, "Sanji says you sleep at the office."

Law snorts out a laugh, "That's a complete exaggeration," he argues, "I don't sleep there. I just stay late."

Luffy makes a little "Mhh"-noise, almost like he doesn't believe him, "Right," he says, and it's clearly sarcastic, "We can just pretend you're not a workaholic, sure. If that makes you feel better."

Law laughs slightly, "I'm not a workaholic, Luffy."

"Okay, then," Luffy says, raising his eyebrows at him, "What did you do last Friday night?"

Law blinks, confused. He sighs, but then decides to be honest, "Work. But-"

"And Saturday?" Luffy asks, a small smile curling around his lips like he already knows he's proving something. 

Law groans, "Also work, but-" 

"And what have you planned on Christmas Eve?" Luffy asks, grinning up at him like he already knows the answer. 

Law frowns and busies himself by taking a sip from the hot drink, "Work," he admits, mumbles the word into his glass. 

Luffy laughs, nudging his arm, "C'mon Torao, that's just sad." 

Law refuses to dignify that with a response. Luffy makes him sound like a loser with no social life that withers away behind a desk and only works, works, works. It's not true at all, he's got a lot of good friends... it's just. 

Christmas is a family thing. Law doesn't have much of that left. 

"You can come around and celebrate at my place if you want," Luffy offers, his teasing smile turning a little softer around the edges. "Nami, Sanji, Zoro, Usopp and some other friends from work would be there as well. We're all just hanging out and eating food. It's going to be a good time," by the end of his sentence, Luffy sounds hopeful, "You should come."

"Oh," Law breaths, fingers curling tightly around the warm glass. He doesn't necessarily want to spend Christmas alone in his apartment working, it's just... he doesn't know if it's a good idea to spend time with Luffy outside of work. 

He doesn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. He doesn't want _Luffy_ to get the wrong idea. Grabbing coffee together during lunch break is one thing, spending Christmas together, even if it's with a group of mutual friends and coworkers, is something else. 

"I'll think about it," Law just ends up saying, scratching the back of his head. It's good to keep his options open, and he doesn't think he could handle Luffy's disappointed face when he refuses him right now. 

"Do that." Luffy's smile doesn't drop, "Sanji's doing the main dish, of course, I think Nami's making a salad, but you could bring some chocolate pudding when you're coming, yeah?" 

"Sure," Law agrees easily.

It's only later that he realizes that Luffy said "when" not "if".

—

„Who did you send a secret Santa to, Law?“ Sanji, who Law shares his office with, asks.

Law rolls his eyes. He’s lost count of how many people have asked him this today. Why does everyone want to know? If he told them it wouldn’t be a secret anymore, now would it?

„No one,“ Law drawls, not taking his eyes away from the excel chart on his computer screen, „Why should I?“ 

Sanji shrugs, „’Dunno. To be romantic?“

Law snorts.

„Right,“ Sanji just says, and Law hopes the conversation is over and done with, but then Sanji goes on. 

„Well, I sent some out. To my one true love, Nami. You know, from finances? And Robin, and oh, the pretty Vivi from HR and—„ 

„And every other single woman that works here, got it,“ Law finishes the sentence, already bored by the conversation. The numbers on his charts are far more interesting than Sanji’s mindless drivel. 

„I don’t want beautiful ladies to feel ignored!“ Sanji clenches his fist in determination, „Imagine coming into the office in the morning and finding not a single chocolate Santa on your desk?“ He lets out a loud gasp, like even the thought of it is insulting, „Devastating!“ 

Law rolls his eyes at the dramatics. Who cares? 

He tries to go back to work and leave Sanji crying about secret Santa chocolates and wonderful women on his own, but then Sanji speaks up again. 

„What about Luffy?“

At this, Law finally looks up from his excel chart, raising his eyebrows, „What about him?“

„Did you send him something at least?“ Sanji asks.

Law’s eyebrows only climb higher, „No, why?“ He asks. 

„I don’t know. I thought you liked him. You two have this weird playful flirting thing going on,“ Sanji explains, „This whole- will they or will they not -thing. You know.“

They got a…what now?

Law stares at him in confusion, „No, I don’t know,“ he says, „Enlighten me."

„C’mon,“ Sanji looks at him like he’s being purposefully obtuse. „You’ve been flirting for months. You take him out for coffee every week! Bets are going around when you two will finally hook up. Don’t act like you haven’t heard of it. Even Luffy knows about it.“ 

Law frowns, trying to comprehend. Bets exist regarding Luffy and him? And Luffy knows about it as well? He’s never said a single thing about it to Law. 

„Seriously?“ he asks, a little annoyed at being the center of the office gossip. That's what he's been trying to avoid. „Have you placed a bet on us as well?“

„Sure did,“ Sanji nods like it’s obvious and Law is stupid for asking. „Fifty bucks that you’re gonna hook up at this year’s Christmas party.“

„Really?“ Law asks, starting to feel pissed off, „Shit luck then, I’m not even sure if I’m going.“

„Don’t you dare ruin this for me,“ Sanji points a threatening finger at him, „I already have a plan. All it takes is some alcohol, some strategic mistletoe placement, and voilà.“

 _„Voilà_ my ass,“ Law grits out, he hates that people have the nerve to meddle in his and Luffy's business, feels incredibly annoyed by it. How dare they? Have they nothing better to talk about? „I’ve no plans on hooking up with _Luffy_ of all people. Are you insane?“ he asks, irritated.

Sanji snorts doubtfully, his curly eyebrow twitching in amusement, „Right, okay,“ he huffs out, obviously sarcastic, „You’ve just been flirting with him for the better part of the year because you _don’t_ plan to date him. Sure, sure. Does Luffy know that?“

Law can't believe this, „Oh, for fuck's sake," he snaps, "It’s just for _fun_ , it’s nothing serious, he’d be damn stupid to think otherwise-“ Law starts but then gets interrupted. 

„Sanji,“ it’s Luffy, standing in the doorway of their office. The red nose of the reindeer on his obnoxious Christmas sweater blinks at Law. „Jeff is in the foyer waiting to talk to you.“ 

„Tell him I’ll be there in a sec,“ Sanji replies, already standing up from his chair and straightening his tie. 

Luffy nods and leaves, sparing not a single glance at Law. Law feels something painful curling itself together deep down in his stomach. 

„You think he heard that?“ Law asks carefully, sending Sanji a wary glance. 

„Pretty sure, yeah,“ Sanji raises one curly eyebrow, his blue eyes uncharacteristically cold, „Why? Does it matter?“ 

„No,“ Law shakes his head quickly. He presses his lips together so hard that it’s almost painful, „It doesn’t.“ 

It shouldn’t. 

His sinking heart tells him that it does. 

—

Law doesn't see Luffy the rest of the day. Not in the break room, not even in the kitchen. He doesn't visit to bring Law coffee, he doesn't visit just to say "Hi," and hang out like he usually does. 

It's only when everyone has already left that Luffy enters his office. 

Law’s working late, trying to finish his numbers when Luffy walks in without knocking, carrying what seems to be a large bag of chocolate Santas. 

„Oh, Law,“ he breathes out, clearly surprised to see him, before his mouth turns downwards „You’re still here.“ 

Law motions towards his Macbook, „Got some work left to do.“ 

„Right,“ Luffy just mumbles and seems to hesitate for a second before he steps closer to Law’s wooden desk. 

„I can’t believe they trusted you with the chocolate,“ Law chuckles slightly, trying to lighten the mood. The air feels tense between them, and Law doesn’t know why or what he's supposed to do about it. 

Luffy just nods curtly and gets a small paper out of his pocket, reading off of it. „You get eight,“ he says, and Law can’t place the tone in his voice at all. 

„I get eight what?“ Law asks, perplexed by the comment.

Luffy’s already starting to put the chocolate on his desk, „Eight chocolate Santas,“ Luffy explains, huffing out a breath, „Wow. You’re really popular, huh?“ 

Law looks confused as Luffy continues to place one after the other on his desk, „Why? How many are the others getting?“ he asks. 

Luffy hums, looking down his list, „Two or three at the most," he says, "Hancock and Nami are the only ones who got more than you do.“ 

"Huh," Law's still stunned about the amount of chocolate on his desk. He's not...he's not even _nice_ to people, what the fuck? "It's probably just Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo trying to be funny," he tries to explain away. 

"Maybe," Luffy shrugs like he could care less, but there's something in his eyes that doesn't belong there, something that Law can't name or place, "Or you're just popular," 

Law snorts softly, closing his Macbook, "How many did you get?" 

"One from Hammock," Luffy says, giving a little shrug, "I only know because she told me." 

Only one, huh? Law expected more. Unlike him, Luffy is friendly with everyone and well liked by a lot of people. Everyone seems to adore Luffy and his sunny personality. 

So naturally, Law had expected more secret admirers and he feels a very telling and odd sense of relieve, that it's only Hancock who tried to show her affection through a chocolate gift. It's not even a surprise that she would send him one in hopes of getting a reaction. Hancock had been not-so-secret about her admiration for Luffy in the past. 

"Everyone knows she's in love with you," Law rolls his eyes, not sure if he's annoyed, not sure why he's annoyed. 

"Yeah," Luffy shrugs again, he avoids looking at him, "Anyways. It was nice of her to think of me."

"I don't think she ever wastes time thinking of anyone but you, Luffy," Law chuckles, kind of teasing Luffy with it. 

"If you say so," Luffy simply replies, nipping Law's feeble attempt at lighthearted banter in the bud. 

Law's unfamiliar with this Luffy. This Luffy, that neither smiles or laughs at him, a Luffy that looks at him like he doesn't really see him, like he doesn't care much about what Law says or thinks. A Luffy that's not joking around, or funny, or trying to get Law to do something crazy with him, that calls him by his given name and not by a stupid made up one. A Luffy that feels cold and distant, not warm and too damn close, closer than Law should allow, but lets happen anyway, simply because it's Luffy and it feels safe to do so.

This doesn't feel safe. Law feels like he's talking to a stranger. 

"Well, then," Luffy says, shifting his eyes away from Law, "I've got to go and bring the others their chocolates."

Law can only nod, watching Luffy leave silently.

He sighs and throws a glance at Sanji's empty desk, only noticing now that Luffy didn't leave any secret Santas for him. 

"Devastating," he murmurs to himself.

\--

On Friday, Law finds himself at the fucking Christmas party, feeling all kinds of stupid and miserable. 

From afar, he sees Luffy clumsily trying to twirl around a reluctant Eustass, laughing loudly and freely while doing so. Around them, some other people are dancing more gracefully to the classic Christmas tune booming out of the speakers. 

Law kind of wants to hang himself on that fucking Christmas tree. Maybe he can use the fairy lights to choke himself to death or something. 

He shouldn't have come. He should've stayed home just like he'd planned in the first place. It's just. 

Well. 

The entire week leading up to Friday, Luffy has unquestionably been avoiding him.

And Law can't fucking stand it. It annoys the hell out of him and he can't even place why. More often than not, Luffy gets on his nerves anyway, so why had he been disappointed when Luffy went out to lunch with Eustass instead of visiting the coffee shop with him like he usually would? 

He'd felt extremely stupid standing in the doorway to Luffy's and Coby's office, only to be told that Luffy has already left. He knows that he really shouldn't care. And he certainly doesn't have any right to feel as rejected as he does. 

But, c'mon. What does Luffy want with someone like _Eustass Kidd_? Let's be real here, even entertaining the thought is ridiculous. He wasn't even aware that Luffy liked Kidd enough to hang out with him in his free time. 

And they don't really fit together anyways. Luffy's cute, fun, and disarmingly charming while everyone knows that Kidd is a complete and utter asshole. Fucking absurd the two of them. What an awful joke. 

"You look like you want to murder someone," Shachi elbows him a little, pulling him out of his thoughts and nearly making Law spill his drink. 

"Just myself," Law drawls, and Eustass maybe, he thinks, but doesn't say. If his boss overhears him talking bad about his colleague, he can kiss his promotion goodbye. 

"C'mon, it's not so bad," Shachi remarks, he holds out his glass and clinks it against Law's "The wine is excellent."

"The wine is cheap," Law retorts with a frown. "This will give you the worst headache in the morning." 

Shachi chugs down the remains of his glass, "Worth it," he says, wiping his mouth off.

"Doubt it," Law replies but takes another sip as well. A mix of superficial cranberry and sugar explodes in his mouth and it really is too sweet for his taste, but maybe a little booze will take his mind off of Luffy. 

Law sighs. How the hell did he manage to fuck that up? Why couldn't he had kept his stupid mouth shut? He regrets saying what he had said. 

He didn't even...okay, no, he had meant it. He never wanted their flirting and playful banter to become meaningful. He never planned on taking it further. It was just for fun because Luffy's easy to talk to, easy to flirt with, and Law enjoyed teasing him. It just came naturally. He never planned on asking Luffy out. 

If the boy had any false expectations, that wasn't on Law.

So...it should be good that Luffy knows that now, right? It should be a good thing, that he's aware of how Law sees their relationship, that he killed all the butterflies that Luffy might have had and now decides to keep his distance from him. 

That should be a good thing. The smart thing. The right choice. 

Why the hell does it feel so incredibly fucking wrong then? 

Maybe he had always wanted Luffy more than he had cared to admit to himself and now he's paying the price for it. 

"You know you've been staring at him the entire evening, right?" Shachi asks all of sudden, "It's getting kind of creepy." 

Law promptly tears his eyes away from Luffy's smiling face, feeling caught and slightly embarrassed, "Shut up," he grumbles.

"What's the big deal?" Shachi noisily questions, "You two are normally all over each other. What happened? Did he finally break up with you?"

Law makes a face, he knows that his friend is only joking, but it still hits a nerve. "No," he just ends up saying, "It's nothing." 

"Bullshit," Shachi calls him out on his obvious lie, "Then why are you pouting?" 

"Excuse me?" Law asks brows furrowing together to send Shachi a glare. He's a grown man. He doesn't pout. "I'm not _pouting_." 

"You totally are," Shachi rolls his eyes at him, like Law's being difficult.

"I said something dumb," Law sighs, "He overheard. I wish I could take it back." 

Shachi shrugs his shoulders, "Just go talk to him," he says, "I mean, it's Luffy. The kid adores you. What's the worst thing that could happen?"

"He could tell me to fuck off," Law answers the rhetorical question. 

Shachi snorts, his eyes amused. He's not taking this seriously. "Well, at least then you have your little corner here to come back to and brood in peace." 

Law raises his eyebrows, "You're a great friend," he says, hopes that the sarcastic undertone comes through. 

"I know, I know," Shachi nods, clearly proud, "He just went into the kitchen, c'mon go after him." He suddenly shoves him roughly into the direction of the kitchen, making him almost stumble into Perona from corporate design. "Go!"

Law turns around to glare at him, but Shachi just points towards the direction Luffy left in and mouths "Go!" 

Law rolls his eyes but then decides to follow his advice. 

\--

Thank god it's only them in the staff kitchen. 

Luffy's sitting cross legged on one of the chairs, typing on his phone. He's eating vanilla ice cream out of a large bowl, spoon stuck in his mouth. He's also wearing another ugly Christmas sweater, that Law would usually make a snarky comment about, but now bites his tongue and keeps it to himself.

It's strange to see him secluded from the party when he's usually the heart of it. 

"I think that dessert is supposed to be served later," Law points out, not sure what else to say. 

Luffy finally looks up from his phone, "I don't care. I got hungry," he explains. He locks his phone and slides it back into his jeans. "I thought you didn't wanna come." 

His tone is almost accusatory like he wanted to have a good time but Law's presence alone had ruined that.

Law tries hard to appear indifferent. He gives a little shrug, "Changed my mind." 

Luffy just hums and then the silence stretches between them, only filled by the muffled sound of the party going on in the room next to them. 

Law feels uncomfortable. He doesn't know how to start, what to say. Luffy looks at him like he's annoyed, and it's...it's wrong. Feels wrong and oddly cold, to have Luffy looking at him like that, not even a trace of a smile on his face. Luffy looks at him like he doesn't see him, his usual expressive face blank of any emotions. 

Law realizes that what he had said must have struck deep.

Suddenly, all the words that he wanted to say, that he carefully laid out in his head, all the eloquent apologies get stuck in his throat.

Luffy looks at him like he's waiting for him to say something, and when he doesn't, he seems to get fed up. He drops the spoon onto the table and stands up without another word. 

But Law can't let him go just yet, he can't let this be unresolved. 

When Luffy tries to push past him, Law grabs his arm on instinct, not thinking too much about it, heart pounding in his chest. 

"Wait." 

"What?" Luffy asks, annoyed and angry and Law's almost glad for it. It's better than Luffy downplaying his emotions. Apathy doesn't suit him. 

"Listen," Law starts, a little helplessly, still keeping a grip on Luffy's arm, afraid that the other will run away if he let's go. "About the other day-" 

Luffy interrupts him, "I already understand," he bites out, "You don't need to elaborate." 

"I'm sorry," Law says quickly, "I didn't-"

"You're _sorry?_ " Luffy sneers, leveling a glare at Law. It almost makes him step back, almost makes him let go of Luffy's arm. "Sorry for what? For stringing me along? For spending months flirting with me in front of everyone just for _fun_? For saying that I'm ‘damn stupid’ for assuming you were being serious?" 

"I didn't mean it, okay?" Law rushes out, but Luffy only flinches away from him, looks even more hurt, and Law doesn't know why. And no, god, no- 

This is not going like Law planned, this is not how he wanted this to happen. 

"Yeah, I know that now," Luffy grits out, yanking his arm out of Law's hold, clearly misunderstanding, "A heads up would have been nice though." 

He turns to leave, and Law doesn't know what to do, feels a little desperate to keep Luffy here, with him, away from the people that will only gossip and talk and place fucking bets on them and god, away from _Eustass Kidd_ , who has probably only been waiting for Law to fuck up like he always does.

But Luffy pushes past him, away from him and out of the kitchen before Law can even react. 

"Luffy!" he calls after him and cusses to himself when Luffy doesn't seem to care that he's not done talking just yet. Luffy has said his piece apparently. But Law hasn't. God, he hasn't said his piece. 

He follows Luffy back to the party, ignoring everyone who seems to bump into him, who wants to offer him a glass of eggnog, or wants to talk to him.

When he finally catches up to Luffy, he grabs him by the wrist, "Fucking listen to me," he growls out, annoyed that they're clearly making a scene. 

He wants to go somewhere where they are alone, where he can calmly explain that he didn't mean what he had said, that Luffy got it wrong. Maybe they can talk it out. But not...not here. Not where everyone can see and listen in on them. 

Luffy tries to yank his wrist out of his grip, clearly still pissed off, "Let go!" he demands.

"Let's talk somewhere private, okay?" Law says quietly, pleadingly, not loosening his grip, "Please, just come with me and we can-"

"Mistletoe!" someone yells, and suddenly the people around them cheer and laugh, interrupting what Law wanted to say. 

"You gotta kiss him, Trafalgar!" 

"What?" Law asks, confused, too focused on Luffy to understand what's going on.

But Luffy's not even looking at him. He shoots a quick glance up, before taking a hurried step away from him. Law lets him go and follows his eyes, seeing the mistletoe hanging innocently, mockingly, above their heads. 

"Oh..." he breathes out, his heart beats like thunder in his chest.

Everyone's looking at them, he can feel their eyes on him, and he's...He doesn't know what to do. He throws a quick glance towards the crowd that has formed around them, sees Sanji in the middle of them, giving him a smug smile and a thumbs up.

He swallows hard, glancing back at Luffy, who looks so uncomfortable and distressed with the situation, that it kicks him back into action. 

He needs Luffy to know that out of the two of them, _Law's_ the stupid one for believing he doesn't want him. 

Because he fucking _does_ , he wants him more than anything else, and he can't stand another second of Luffy doubting it. 

"Don't-" Luffy starts, but stops short when Law closes the distance between them, sliding an arm around his small waist, pulling him into his body.

Who cares who's looking? He can only see Luffy. 

He presses his lips to Luffy's in a kiss so careful and gentle, it feels like it's happening in slow-motion. Luffy inhales sharply against his mouth, his hands gripping into the fabric of his shirt. Law doesn't even register the cheers around him, the yelling and the cat-calls, everything just fades into the background as he closes his eyes and enjoys the rush. 

He’s never gotten so lost in a kiss before. The space between them is exploding, his heart keeps missing beats, and his hands can’t seem to bring Luffy close enough. He realizes he’s been starving. He’s kissed so many people before but it never felt like this. It never felt so warm, never burned him alive. 

He can't describe what he's feeling. No dictionary definition would stand a chance.

Law can’t tell how long the kiss lasts. Maybe only a second, maybe an hour. All he knows is that kiss, and how soft Luffy feels brushing against him, how perfect, and that even if he didn’t know until now, he’d been waiting for this. 

When he finally manages to tear himself away from Luffy, Law can't open his eyes for a few moments afterward. Luffy stays close, breathing softly against the skin of his cheek before he huffs out a breathless laugh. 

"You-" Luffy starts, but he doesn't end his sentence. After a second, he tries again, "Do you-"

"Yes," Law replies. 

Slowly, the background noise comes back to him. He overhears Sanji yelling "50 Bucks! Pay up, Marimo!" and the way the people around them chatter and talk, talk, talk, and god, it really doesn't matter. 

Because Luffy suddenly throws his arms around him, pulling him into a wild and uncoordinated kiss, grinning against his mouth, kissing him in such a disarming manner that it threatens to overwhelm him.

Law closes his eyes, kisses Luffy back and the room falls away.

\--

Christmas at Luffy's place is pure chaos. 

It starts with Luffy slamming the door open to let him in, tearing the large bowl of chocolate pudding right out of his hands. Almost like an afterthought, Luffy presses a quick kiss to his mouth in greeting. It's short and simple, but enough to make Law feels a little weak in his knees. 

"Who is it?" Someone from inside the apartment shouts. 

"It's Torao!" Luffy yells back, way too loud and way too close to Law's ear. 

"Did he bring the pudding?" that's Sanji's voice.

"Yeah, he did!" Luffy shouts and then Sanji appears in the doorway. 

He greets Law with a two-fingered wave, cool and aloof like he always is, impatiently taking the bowl out of Luffy's hands before walking back into the apartment again. Luffy motions for him to come inside and Law does, opening his coat and getting rid of the scarf around his neck. 

Luffy looks up at him, eyes wide and a small smile on his mouth, "Hi," he says, voice softer now.

Law feels his stomach surge a little with affection, "Hey," he says back quietly, "Merry Christmas."

Luffy's smile widens and Law thinks it's astounding how effortlessly his heart fell in love with the way Luffy looks at him like that, and how ridiculous it was that he didn't notice it sooner. 

"Merry Christmas," Luffy echoes, he goes on his tiptoes, reaching for him and Law meets him halfway, pressing a kiss against that smile. 

Luffy's mouth slides against his, easy and smooth, and Law gets a little lost in the way Luffy's fingers slide through his hair, the way the boy presses himself closer against his body, arms looping around his neck, pulling him in. 

They keep it easy and innocent, but when they break apart Luffy's cheeks are a little flustered, a bit rosier than before. It's a good look on him, Law decides, but before he can tease him about it, Luffy takes his hand and drags him into the kitchen where everyone is already sitting at the large table.

Law's not used to having so many people around him during the holidays, he's stopped celebrating Christmas when there was no one left to celebrate it with, no family to wrap up gifts for. 

Luffy's family is patchwork at best, but maybe it's what makes the whole spectacle feel so unconstrained and easy. These people don't _have_ to spend this evening together, Luffy's friends don't have to put on a facade or play nice. They're here because they want to. Because there's no one else they would rather be with.

And Law feels much the same. 

"I'm tired," Luffy yawns, his head falling onto Law's shoulder, "I ate too much." 

"No kidding," Law murmurs, pressing a kiss to the crown of Luffy's head. Just because he can, just because he's allowed to. 

Luffy smiles up at him from where they're huddled together on the couch, "Sanji's food is just too delicious." 

Law makes a humming sound in agreement. He feels pretty content right now. He's in good company, Luffy leaning next to him, cuddled close, Robin is sitting in one of the armchairs by Luffy's hideously decorated Christmas tree, reading a new book that Franky got her as a present, completely immersed in it. One would think she's not paying attention to her surroundings, but when Usopp tells an exaggerated story to Nami and Vivi, she casts him a fleeting glance, chuckling to herself. 

Law can hear the muffled sound of Zoro and Sanji arguing by themselves in the kitchen. 

"The shitty cook has been bragging about his secret Santas nonstop," Zoro groans when he comes into the living room, sitting down cross-legged on the carpet by the tree. He opens up a beer with a twist of his hand. 

Sanji follows him, a kitchen-towel thrown over his right shoulder and a cigarette in his hand, "You're just jealous because I got more than you did."

Zoro rolls his eyes, "Like I care" he tsks. 

Luffy makes a confused noise, he looks like he wants to say something, opening his mouth, before closing it again. Then it seems to click and he sends Law a knowing glance. 

"Did you-" he starts to ask, but Law hushes him quietly and nods. 

Luffy grins, "Aww, that's so nice of you," he says quietly, keeping the conversation between the two of them.

Law rolls his eyes, "Shut up," he whispers back. 

He gave his Santas to Sanji for solely selfish reasons anyway. Who wanted to share an office with Sanji, when he was even more of a heartbroken and lovesick fool than usual? Certainly not Law.

"Didn't know you were such a softie, Torao," Luffy says, still grinning teasingly at him. 

Law presses a kiss to that smile just so he doesn't have to see Luffy looking so smugly at him, "I have my moments," he mumbled, quiet like a confession. 

Luffy's clearly amused by this, his eyes twinkling in the warm shine of the fairy lights, "I know you do," he says, "Even though you didn't send a secret Santa to _me_."

Law hums, "It's just stupid, okay? I mean, did you send me one?"

"Yeah," Luffy smiles up at him, "Of course, I did." 

Law rolls his eyes, playfully flicking his forefinger against Luffy's cheek, "Do you feel betrayed because I gave them all to Sanji?"

"A little," Luffy admits, but Law can tell he's joking by the way he chuckles, "Not really."

"He deserves them more than I do, trust me," Law says, thinking about how that mistletoe back at the Christmas party was probably put up by the cook.

Luffy looks like he wants to say something, but Law just shakes his head, "Don't even ask," he says. 

Luffy laughs, light and warm, his hand curling around Law's, almost absentmindedly letting his thumb trace along his palm. 

He entwined his fingers with Luffy's smaller ones and breathes through the warmth that seeps through his chest. A simple, sweet thing to do.

Law doesn’t think he ever wants to let go. 

  
  



End file.
